Ukraine’s rebels say they are seeking a mandate, not independence, in referendum
Eastern Ukrainians vote in referendum opposed by West
(about 4 hours later)
DONETSK, Ukraine — Voting began early Sunday on a referendum hastily organized by eastern Ukrainian rebels seeking to harness anger at the government and legitimize their uprising, even if it falls short of giving them a legal mandate to declare an independent state.
DONETSK, Ukraine — Residents of two regions of eastern Ukraine cast ballots Sunday in a hastily organized referendum that secessionists hope will legitimize their pro-Russia uprising but that opponents believe will only deepen the divisions that are ripping the country apart.
With Ukraine perilously close to civil war and drunken mobs rampaging through the streets of the port city of Mariupol on Saturday, the separatists say the vote could pave the way for a political solution by showing that the people support their movement.
With Ukraine perilously close to civil war, people formed lines at makeshift polls in Donetsk and Luhansk, where pro-Russia separatists have seized power. The vast majority appeared to be voting in favor of distancing themselves from the central government in Kiev.
Yet the vote is equally likely to deepen the divisions that are ripping the country apart. The government in Kiev has denounced the referendum as illegal and unconstitutional, and many observers say it lacks any credibility. Opponents of the pro-Russian separatists who have seized power in eastern Ukraine may decide to boycott a vote they see as rigged.
Opponents of the separatist movement largely stayed away from the polling stations. The referendum “is not legal,” said a 35-year-old businessman who gave his name only as Dmitry and was walking in a Donetsk park with his wife. He said he would not vote. “It’s just people with guns, it is not a democratic referendum,” he said.
Early signs pointed to a heavy turnout in the region. At a school in the center of this rebel stronghold, people began arriving to vote soon after polls opened 8 a.m. local time, checking their names against a two-year-old voter list with assistance from half a dozen female volunteers. Many of the early voters were elderly, while people who had moved to the area more recently were permitted to vote by showing their passports, the chief election official said.
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement Sunday calling the referendum a “criminal farce” arranged by a “gang of Russian terrorists,” reflecting the central government’s view that Russian agents are behind the breakaway movement.
The voters then stepped behind one of two curtained-off booths to mark their ballots and drop them into transparent urns decorated with the black, blue and red flag of the Donetsk People’s Republic.
Organizers of the vote hailed what they called a high turnout. At the very least, the lines at the polling stations appeared to reflect a significant protest vote against the central government in Kiev.
“I didn’t expect so many people to come,” said Sergey Lunenko, a 49-year-old entrepreneur and election official, as lines formed behind him in a crowded school polling station in a residential area of the city. “People want an end to the inequality and double standards in this country.”
But whether residents were seeking to join Russia was unclear. The ballots asked voters whether they supported what could be translated either as “independence” or “self-determination” for the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
Lunenko said there was talk of another referendum on May 18 to ask people whether they wanted to join Russia, but he said it was not certain it would happen and argued it was too soon.
Separatist leaders say they are not necessarily seeking outright independence or a union with Russia — at least not for the time being. Instead, they are seeking “the moral right to state that we are not happy with the events in our country and demand changes,” said Roman Lyagin, the head of the rebel election commission in Donetsk, at a news conference on the eve of the vote.
Many people said images of Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicles on the streets of Mariupol and the reported deaths of civilians in crossfire this week had shaken their faith in the nation.
But separatist leaders favor union with Russia, and they have said that more referendums are likely on which direction the regions should take.
In Donetsk, almost everyone seemed to support the referendum question.
Many observers say the referendum lacks any credibility. The voters’ list is two years old, but one election organizer said that anyone who turned up with a passport would be allowed to vote. The ballots lack markings that could prevent them from being widely copied. The people staffing the polling stations and counting the ballots are the same activists who support a “yes” vote. There were no international oversight missions.
“I voted for the Donetsk People’s Republic,” said Eugeniy Briashov, a retired engineer. “We will make our own federated state and unite with Russia.”
Polls have indicated that most residents of eastern Ukraine would prefer to stay part of that country. That’s a far different attitude than in Crimea, where residents voted in an impromptu referendum in March to leave Ukraine. The peninsula was then annexed by Russia, a move that was not recognized internationally.
Elena Voronkova, a 39-year-old businesswoman, said she had also voted yes. “I am not against Ukraine. My children go to a Ukrainian school. But I want peace, stability and not to be afraid.”
Still, residents of eastern Ukraine are not necessarily happy with the Western-leaning national government that came to power in February after pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was forced from office.
Many expressed deep unhappiness with the government in Kiev that took over after protests drove then-President Viktor Yanukovych from office. They said they feel as if the interim government does not represent them, and they demanded more respect and autonomy for their region.
The Ukrainian military has been trying, with little success, to reassert control over cities in the east where separatists have seized control of local government buildings in recent weeks. More fighting between pro-Russian militants and the Ukrainian armed forces broke out Saturday night near the rebel stronghold of Slovyansk. The Defense Ministry said insurgents had attacked an army position controlling the television tower outside the city. One soldier was wounded, it said.
“My problem is not Ukraine, it is the authorities in Kiev,” said Anton Karpov, a 31-year-old coal mine worker.
Varied reasons for voting ‘yes’
“It’s good to live in Ukraine, but the situation nowadays is not good for Russian-speaking people,” said 60-year-old Galina Borisovna, a retired former computer worker. “The Kiev authorities are illegal, and people just want the right to decide for themselves. I hope everything will be peaceful within a federal Ukraine.”
In Donetsk, people voiced differing motives for voting “yes” in the referendum. Many said that images of Ukrainian infantry fighting vehicles on the streets of the nearby city of Mariupol last week and the reported deaths of civilians in crossfire had shaken their faith in the nation.
Vyachesla, 73, a retired lawyer who did not want to give his last name, said he was more inclined toward Russia.
“I am not against Ukraine. My children go to a Ukrainian school,” said Elena Voronkova, a 39-year-old businesswoman, who voted “yes.” “But I want peace, stability and not to be afraid.”
“My soul is asking, my motherland is asking,” he said. “I am voting no to fascism and no to the Kiev junta.”
Some residents said they wanted more autonomy for their region, which has traditionally had strong ties with Russia. Many expressed deep uneasiness with the Kiev government, which alarmed people in eastern Ukraine by quickly moving to deny regional governments the power to make Russian an official language. That legislation was later vetoed, but many Russian speakers feared they would become second-class citizens under the new government.
In Horlivka, a tiny suburb about 15 miles from Donetsk, turnout was heavy and composed mostly of supporters of the separatist movement.
“It’s good to live in Ukraine, but the situation nowadays is not good for Russian-speaking people,” said 60-year-old Galina Borisovna, a retired former computer worker. “People just want the right to decide for themselves. I hope everything will be peaceful within a federal Ukraine.”
Sergei Vasilyev, 28, who backs the separatist cause, said he was surprised by the crowd that had shown up to vote, noting that it appeared to top any turnout he had seen in previous presidential elections. “I thought we would be much fewer,” Vasilyev said.
But others were in favor of joining Russia.
“My soul is asking, my motherland is asking,” said Vyachesla, 73, a retired lawyer who did not want to give his last name. “I am voting no to fascism and no to the Kiev junta.”
Voting appeared orderly. People at one school in the center of Donetsk began arriving to vote soon after polls opened at 8 a.m. local time, checking their names against the voter list with assistance from half a dozen volunteers. Many of the early voters were elderly.
The voters then stepped behind one of two curtained-off booths to mark their ballots and drop them into transparent containers decorated with the black, blue and red flag of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.
In Horlivka, a tiny suburb about 15 miles from Donetsk, turnout was heavy.
Sergei Vasilyev, 28, who backs the separatist cause, said he was surprised by the size of the crowd, noting that it appeared to top any turnout he had seen in previous presidential elections. “I thought we would be much fewer,” Vasilyev said.
Eleyna Sikareva, the head of the local referendum commission, predicted 95 percent support for creating an independent republic.
Eleyna Sikareva, the head of the local referendum commission, predicted 95 percent support for creating an independent republic.
But those in Horlivka who support a united Ukraine said they had no plans to vote or felt intimidated about speaking their views. Others talked about cultural and generational divides that have fueled separatist tensions and are likely to be reflected in the vote.
But those in Horlivka who support a united Ukraine said they had no plans to vote or felt intimidated about voicing their views. Some mentioned cultural and generational divides that have fueled separatist tensions and are likely to be reflected in the vote.
“Only old people are happy about it. Young people go to vote because we are afraid of being killed in Horlivka,” said Vika, a student in a technical college who was discussing the referendum with friends in a nearby cafe and declined to give more than her first name.
“Only old people are happy about it,” said Vika, a student in a technical college who was discussing the referendum with friends in a cafe and declined to give more than her first name. The elderly had grown up in a Ukraine that was part of the Soviet Union, which collapsed in 1991. “Young people go to vote because we are afraid of being killed in Horlivka,” she said.
Polls close at 10 p.m. local time.
Opposition to referendum
The language of the referendum leaves plenty of room for interpretation, asking voters whether they support what could be translated either as “independence” or “self-determination” for the self-styled Donetsk People’s Republic.
Separatist leaders, who call the government in Kiev illegitimate, say they are not necessarily seeking outright independence or a union with Russia, at least not for the time being.
“A ‘yes’ vote does not mean that the Donetsk region will become part of Russia, or stay in Ukraine, or become an independent state,” Roman Lyagin, the head of the rebel election commission, said at a news conference Saturday.
“It means that we will receive the support of a majority of the inhabitants of the region and the moral right to state that we are not happy with the events in our country and demand changes. We want to choose another path for this region.”
Lyagin’s comments could be interpreted as a softening of the rebels’ stance, but it is equally likely that the rebels are trying to inspire a wider protest vote against the government to legitimize their uprising. The confusion, in other words, is likely to work in their favor.
Lyagin, 33, a former political consultant, has said he wants the region to become part of Russia. Denis Pushilin, a prominent separatist leader, spoke last week about “sovereignty” rather than “independence” but then suggested that he wanted a situation comparable to that in Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008 and is now recognized by more than 100 other nations.
While Russia would almost certainly embrace a “yes” vote as a sign of the rebels’ popularity, the United States and Western Europe have joined Ukraine’s government in dismissing the vote.
While Russia would almost certainly embrace a “yes” vote as a sign of the rebels’ popularity, the United States and Western Europe have joined Ukraine’s government in dismissing the vote.
On Saturday, the State Department called the referendum illegal and “an attempt to create further division and disorder” and said the United States would not recognize the results if the vote proceeds. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also called the referendum “illegal,” while French President François Hollande said it carries “no weight,” the Associated Press reported.
On Saturday, the State Department called the referendum illegal and “an attempt to create further division and disorder” and said the United States would not recognize the results if the vote proceeds. German Chancellor Angela Merkel also called the referendum “illegal,” while French President François Hollande said it carries “no weight,” the Associated Press reported.
The rebels rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s surprise call last week for the referendum to be postponed, arguing that they would lose popular trust if they did so. Lyagin said he could go to jail for 10 to 15 years for his role in organizing the vote and suggested that only a mandate from the people could save him.
The rebels rejected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s surprise call last week for the referendum to be postponed, arguing that they would lose popular trust if they did so.
“It will legitimize us in society all over the world,” he said.
Opponents of the referendum have questioned its legitimacy.Ukrainian news media issued a video and photographs that purported to show three men who had been caught on the outskirts of Slovyansk on Saturday with weapons and a trunk full of ballots already filled in with “yes” votes.
Meanwhile, more fighting between pro-Russian militants and the Ukrainian armed forces broke out Saturday night near the rebel stronghold of Slovyansk. Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said insurgents had attacked an army position controlling the television tower outside the city, using mortars. One soldier was wounded, it said.
Nemstova reported from Horlivka. Frederick Kunkle in Kiev contributed to this report.
Allegations of fraud
Opponents of the referendum are already casting doubt on its legitimacy, however. Ukrainian news media issued a video and photographs that purported to show three men who had been caught on the outskirts of Slovyansk on Saturday with weapons and a trunk full of ballots already filled in with “yes” votes.
On Thursday, Ukraine’s state security service released an audio recording in which a Russian nationalist politician allegedly advises a separatist leader who expressed concerns about organizing the vote to simply declare that 99 percent of the people, or “let’s say 89 percent,” had voted “yes.”
The authenticity of the recording could not be verified, and separatists say it is a fake. It nevertheless encapsulates a widespread feeling here that the referendum’s outcome has been fixed.
Lyagin said that he is determined to stage a transparent, objective vote and that there will be no foreign observers, apart from journalists, because no one offered to come.
There are few barriers to fraud. The only list of voters is two years out of date, but one official said that anyone who turns up with a passport will be allowed to vote. The ballots lack any markings that could prevent them from being widely copied. The only people who will be manning the polling stations and counting the votes are the same activists who support a “yes” vote.
Lyagin said his team is spending just $1,700 to stage what he calls a “people’s referendum.” Volunteers at the polling stations will not be paid and have been asked to supply their own pens; most of the budget appears to have been spent on paper to print nearly 3.2 million ballot slips and on ink for three borrowed ink-jet printers.
The effort’s low budget seems partly designed to counter suspicions that the rebellion has the financial backing of Russia or of local oligarchs.
Lyagin did not say who had paid for the billboards that appeared across Donetsk last week urging people to vote “yes” and to choose between fascists in western Ukraine carrying molotov cocktails and axes and peaceful miners in the east carrying flowers.
After several days of violence in Mariupol, Lyagin said, the separatists might struggle to conduct the vote in the southeastern city. Ukraine’s armed forces arrested many militants in Mariupol on Wednesday, and Lyagin said the rebels were coordinating the situation there “on the run” and would conduct the referendum “where it is possible.”
Drunken mobs roamed the otherwise deserted city center of Mariupol on Saturday as the security situation there took another turn for the worse. The city council called a day of mourning after Friday’s heavy fighting between pro-Russian militants and Ukrainian security forces left at least seven people dead.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said Mariupol’s police chief had been abducted by rebels during the fighting.
In another sign of the collapsing morale of Ukraine’s security forces, members of the national guard evacuated their barracks in the city Saturday morning, apparently in a hurry. They left behind at least three armored personnel carriers, riot shields, helmets, gas masks and clothes, which were promptly looted, witnesses said.
In the city center, militants set fire to a broken-down infantry fighting vehicle that the army had been forced to abandon the previous day. But their failure to empty it of all its ammunition caused explosions that led some of their comrades to set fire to their barricades, fearing another attack, a witness said.
‘A complete destruction’
In the rebel stronghold of Donetsk, a group of police also laid down their weapons when their camp on the outskirts of the city came under attack by two truckloads of heavily armed militants Friday evening. The police surrendered 70 automatic rifles and 16,000 cartridges, an officer said on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters.
Militants held nine Red Cross workers — eight Ukrainians and one Swiss — hostage for seven hours in Donetsk, beating one of them before freeing them early Saturday, a Red Cross official said, according to the Reuters news agency. A spokesman for the rebels said the workers had been detained Friday evening on suspicion of espionage.
Lyagin insisted that Ukraine’s presidential election, scheduled for May 25, could not go ahead in the eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
In Kiev, the acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, again called on rebellious citizens to work out their differences at the bargaining table, saying the government was willing to discuss more local control and guarantee minority rights for ethnic Russians.
But he warned that supporters of independence for the east “don’t understand that this would be a complete destruction of the economy, social programs and general life for the majority of the population.”
“This is a step into the abyss for the regions,” he said in comments posted on the presidential Web site.
Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, the self-proclaimed people’s mayor of Slovyansk, said the rebels had decided to adopt a “take-no-prisoners” approach in future clashes with the Ukrainian army.
“We had an unspoken agreement that we do not open fire on regular soldiers of the army,” Ponomaryov said, according to a report on Radio Liberty. But he said the rebels would go all-out now because soldiers from the 95th Airborne Brigade had killed civilians in a town just outside Donetsk.
“We decided that now we will not take prisoners, we will kill them all,” Ponomaryov said, according to Radio Liberty. According to the news outlet, he said the militants believe that the more ruthless they are, the faster the Ukrainian military will respect them.
